I was a little disappointed with the book by Michael F. Bird called “Introducing Paul; The Man, His Mission and His Message”. Not because the book wasn’t well done. On the contrary, it is an excellent book. It is well thought out, documented, and presented. Bird argues well for his analysis of Paul and what he was like and what he believed. Bird writes well and with conviction, personality and passion. It is easy to see that Bird is intelligent, and serious about his faith. And he knows his subject well.
What was somewhat disappointing was that I was hoping for a book that lay people might read in order to understand Paul and his message better. That is certainly my own problem and does not reflect on the value of “Introducing Paul”. But the truth is that this is a seminary level read.
Michael F. Bird is lecturer in New Testament at Highland Theological College, Dingwall, Scotland. I enjoyed getting to know him a bit through the pages of the book, and it is clear he is a passionate Christ follower and lover of scripture. I appreciate the view he allows Paul to have on women too!
As a seminary professor, Bird’s ideas and arguments for Paul and what his message and motivation was are deep and quite involved. The language he uses is that of a scholar speaking to other scholars. Again, this is not a reflection on the value of the book, it is just important to put the book in the right category. Lay people, you will not have an easy time with the language and ideas of this book.
Pastors, you may enjoy reading “Introducing Paul”, but beyond that, I believe this book belongs on a seminary book shelf. Congratulations on this wonderful work, Dr. Bird.
Reviewed by Joan Tyvoll
